When you're vegan there is one word you constantly hear from non-vegans......."Bacon." Well guess what? Vegans have bacon too! If you never tried shiitake bacon, I highly recommend that you give it a try. It's pretty simple and easy to make and it tastes AMAZING. I literally made it every day for about 4 days in a row. I topped salads with it, Added it to soups and even on top of veggie burgers. But my favorite was on top of creamy kale pasta.
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Makes 2-3 Servings
Ingredients
1/2 box of pasta cooked and drained (I use spelt pasta)
1 bunch of kale chopped
The cashew cream
1-1/2 cup of cashews (soaked for about 30 minutes, rinsed and drained)
1 cup of water
1 tsp of garlic powder
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tbs of nutritional yeast
sea salt to taste
The shiitake bacon
2 handfuls of thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
1 tsp of liquid smoke
2 tsp of maple syrup
3 tsp of Tamari sauce or soy sauce. You can also use coconut aminos
2 tsp of vegetable or coconut oil
1 tsp of toasted sesame oil
1/8 tsp of black pepper
1/8 tsp of smoked paprika powder
Preparation:
First make the cashew cream by adding all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy and set aside. Now make your shiitake bacon by combining the liquid smoke, maple syrup, tamari sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, pepper and paprika into a bowl and mix well. Next add in the shiitake mushrooms and toss until everything is coated. Now place a medium sized skillet over medium heat and add int the mushrooms in an even layer. cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Now you can make the kale using the same pan that you used to make the bacon. Simply add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and add in the kale. Cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes then add in about 1/4 cup of water and cover with a lid. Let the kale steam for about 5 minutes then remove from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste. Finally, stir in the cooked pasta and the cashew cream. Top with the shiitake bacon and EAT UP!
